A wide variety of storage bins and compartments are provided in the modern motor vehicle to allow convenient storage and retrieval of large and small items. For example, it is known to provide small sliding storage compartments especially designed for items such as sunglasses, wherein the storage compartments are positioned in the motor vehicle for easy retrieval of the contents by the driver when seated in the motor vehicle. Likewise, it is known to provide larger sliding storage bins or drawers, for example center console-mounted storage bins or under-seat storage bins, to hold larger items. Conventionally, such vehicle sliding storage bins rely on a track system, similar in overall design to a drawer track system, for a smooth opening/closing action. Such conventional storage bin 1 track systems typically include a track assembly comprising a cooperating single rail 2 and track 3 disposed on each side of the sliding storage bin (see FIG. 1).
While substantially effective for their intended purpose, conventional sliding storage bins including a single track assembly suffer from certain deficiencies. In particular, single track system vehicle storage bins are prone to rocking and friction when opening/closing. That is, such prior art systems provide only two points of effort on each side of the bin 1 and therefore allow a significant degree of movement of the bin along a z (up/down) axis and along a y (in/out) axis, with attendant noise/squealing. This is in part related to the larger draft angles (the amount of taper for molded/cast parts perpendicular to a parting line) required for molded tracks to allow easy removal of the molded part from a mold. The rocking and friction associated with conventional sliding storage bins including a single track assembly leads to a perception of lesser vehicle quality and reduced consumer satisfaction. Molding equally-sized track parts with a smaller draft angle is an unsatisfactory, as the parts may be difficult to remove from the mold once hardened.
In turn, to fit large and/or heavy objects into a conventionally supported storage bin or drawer requires extending the drawer to a fully opened configuration, leaving the bin in a cantilevered condition with only two points of effort or support points in a rear portion of the bin tracks. Vehicle specification requirements of max load are usually high, which leads to a very large lever arm and thus to a huge bending moment with a strain increase in the two mentioned points. This state may lead to an overstrained material and possibly to a fracture in these effort concentration points.
To solve these and other problems, the present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle sliding storage bin including an offset dual track assembly. Advantageously, the described dual track assembly provides additional support for a sliding storage bin, reducing the above-summarized issues of bending moment, friction and rocking.